Page 32 - I have a dream

THE ENGLISH SCHOOL MA GA ZINE 2022

2020 vision, that’s what it seems we’ll all need to see this tough,
worrying, inconvenient period through. Vision to see through the
panic that fills many conversations with friends and family and
the constant flow of negative information from media (social or
otherwise) that we can’t go a day without. Vision to see that 2020
is not doomsday stretched out over some months or a year, but
instead, a year of hardship and suffering that will be overcome with
a collective effort from all of us mere individuals. Vision (and I
swear this is the last one) so that when we read “lockdown
extended”, we see a measure taken to protect public health and
not a targeted attack on our ways of life. 2020 vision is what we
hope for when we visit the ophthalmologist, sitting through,
ironically, tests that blind us. It’s what we strive for when it comes
to our ability to introspectively see ourselves and the deepest,
most hidden away parts of our history or our personality. It’s what
we sing when listening to Tyler the Creator’s incredibly catchy song,
See You Again. And it’s our theme for this issue of the Phoenix,
the distribution of which required our creative vision for the
magazine’s digitalisation to allow everyone to have access to a part
of our student community’s expression of creativity, emotion,
information and opinion, despite the move of our school
environment to our homes. 2020 vision is what our generation will
need to find efficient and effective solutions to the major problems
faced in areas such as sustainable food, water and energy provision
for the human population, pollution and the degradation of vast
areas across the world, to even more complex issues like social
and political polarisation, the refugee crisis and the practices of
governments and businesses that allow the current historic highs
of income inequality globally to have developed. 2020 vision is
what the whole world will need to battle this current world health
When it comes to sustainability, the words ‘environment’ and
‘global warming’ are what come to mind, perhaps reminiscent of crisis. We hope this Issue gives you somewhat of a respite from
the uncertainty around us.
the myriad of primary school assemblies we were all made to sit
through. The world however has changed since then, and so has the Alexandra Kassinis, Andreas Lordos & Iasonas Hadjiloizou ESL20
definition of sustainability, moulding itself to become what we
need it to become. In a world where 15 million tons of used textile Alexandra is majoring in “environmental science and public policy”
waste is generated, sustainable fashion choices, that is to say, at Harvard, and is an editor for the Harvard Crimson’s Blog “Flyby”.
thrifting, second hand buys, supporting ethical brands, is what is Andreas is a freshman at Harvard studying computer science.
needed. In a world where livestock accounts for about 14.5 percent Iasonas is at Imperial College, London studying civil engineering.
of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, a different, more
sustainable approach to eating is needed. Less animal products and
more plants. Sustainability, however, is more than that. In a world
where we are bombarded with diets and cleanses at every available
moment, a sustainable diet is also one which allows you to nourish
your body the way it is asking to be nourished. One that fits into
your busy schedule, and one that does not leave you feeling empty.
As a high school student desperately trying to fit homework, revision,
extra lessons, sports, art, music, and sleep into 24 minuscule hours,
a sustainable lifestyle could mean knowing when to take a break,
the phoenix increasingly globalized world, sustainability could even mean
getting enough hours of sleep and finding time to relax. In an
sustaining what makes us unique; Our languages, our cultures. More
than that, sustainability could mean how we shape our identities in
relation to others, and how we form sustainable relationships and
communities. Sustainability is largely up to us and our actions, big
and small. We are experiencing the world constantly as an ever
changing, flaming sphere of events, trying to draw connections and
create a more sustainable physical, emotional and social
environment, and yet despite the fact that the human race is itself
currently largely unsustainable, the smallest of changes can have a
30 big impact. To our succeeding editorial team and all other ES
students we want to say this: Just like everything else inherited by
humanity, we are leaving platforms like The Phoenix to you; protect
your environmental as well as your emotional resources, strive to be
sustainable in every way that you can. So, switch from plastic to
re-usable bags, replace your cow's milk for almond milk, cultivate
emotional and social understanding, get more sleep. Never
underestimate the gravity of your individual impact.
Maria Kypridemou & Alexandra Fougala-Metaxa ESL19

Maria is studying Comparative Literature and Music, at University of
Glasgow, currently on year abroad in the US.
Alexandra is studying Spanish and Italian at the University of Glasgow,
currently on a year abroad in Spain.